NEW YORK: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized on Wednesday that the key takeaway from the China-U.S. relationship is that both nations should cooperate as partners rather than compete as rivals.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made these comments during a meeting with representatives from several U.S. organizations, including the National Committee on United States-China Relations, the U.S.-China Business Council, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Aspen Institute, the Asia Society, and the Council on Foreign Relations. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Wang urged the U.S. to recognize China's right to development, stressing that China’s growth should be viewed as an opportunity, not a threat, to both the United States and the world.

As the world’s two largest economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and the U.S. must work toward building a stable, healthy, and sustainable relationship, while collaborating with the global community to tackle the many challenges the world currently faces, Wang said.

He expressed his hope that the United States would approach China with an objective and rational perspective to foster mutual trust and understanding.